Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
JAKE
I lean forward and angle my head to see if she’s still there, but I see no trace of her. I shift uncomfortably in my seat, my dick throbbing from the mere eye contact we just shared. My eyes were drawn to her the moment I saw her appear in the doorway, when she thought no one was watching her.
The way she watched Mav and Bella, I could feel her emotions like they were my own…a mixture of pain and longing weaved together in a tangled mess. Her slender body gripping the wood like it was the only thing keeping her up.
I couldn’t have taken my eyes off her even if the whole damn place caught on fire. The flames would have consumed me before I even noticed they were there.
“You good?” My brother Miles leans over and whispers. “I can feel the tenseness coming off your body in waves,” he chuckles softly.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I sigh. “Guess I’m just tired. I had a late-night session last night, and then we helped all day with wedding preparations.” I watch my older brother Travis stand with the groomsmen, but it’s clear his wife, standing across him as a bridesmaid, is what has his full attention .
“Well, get un- tired. There are at least six girls here that need our attention later. You know how women get at weddings, and it’s exactly why we never bring dates,” he says quietly so we don’t disturb the wedding.
Miles is a couple of years younger than me at twenty-six. Since he graduated high school, we’ve been each other’s wingman. Seeing our other two brothers, Travis and Ryder, get married and how happy they are has made me wonder more than once if I’m missing something in my life.
There’s no shortage in our small town with all the vacationers coming in and out with women who would gladly jump at the chance to warm my bed every night and become Mrs. Montgomery. Hell, I’ve been proposed to many times while I’m deep inside them, but I’ve never met anyone that will bring me to my knees like Travis and Ryder will gladly do for their wives.
Until now .
I glance at the doorway, willing her to show up again. Maybe I dreamed the whole thing. It can’t be possible to feel this much with only one look.
Can it?
I’m pulled from my thoughts as everyone starts clapping around me and starts to stand up as Mav and Bella walk back down the aisle, hand in hand. The look on their faces sends a longing deep inside my chest. I rub the ache like it will magically disappear beneath my palm.
Bella winks at Ryder and me as she passes by, and I can’t help but grin back at the blonde beauty. We met them through our brother Travis when he married Maverick’s sister, Sophia. We quickly became friends with them, along with Bella’s brother Noah and his wife Emma. Even though we live an hour north of them in Blue Haven, we make a point to get together as often as we can at our family beach house.
This summer, we will be hosting our second annual Fourth of July party, which Miles has already begun collecting a huge pile of fireworks in the garage. Lord help us if our house ever caught on fire because what the fire didn’t burn, the boxes of explosives in the garage would finish it off in seconds.
Travis walks down the aisle with Sophia and gives me a quick punch to the arm as he passes by. “Was that supposed to hurt?” I call after him as he grins over his shoulder.
“If I wanted it to, it would.”
I shake my head and chuckle.
“Even at weddings, you men still act like children,” Savi bumps her shoulder to mine. She’s our only sister and the youngest of the family. It’s amazing that she still talks to us with all the hell we put her dates through growing up. With four older protective brothers, she had her work cut out for her.
Unlike all her brothers with grey eyes, Savi has the most vivid blues I’ve ever seen. With her long dark hair and a cute dusting of freckles across her nose, she’s stunning…which is exactly why we have our work cut out for us, too.
“Feeling left out?” I throw my arm around her and start to tickle her.
“Stop it, you big nut,” she laughs and pulls me off of her. “I’m ready for a glass of wine. You two yahoos coming?” She glances at me and Miles.
“I’m in,” Miles says, coming up and throwing his arm around her. “Lead the way, sis.” I follow them down the aisle and up the wide staircase leading to the upper level. The view of the ocean is more beautiful the higher I climb. Different shades of blue as far as the eye can see.
Round tables are scattered about, and little white cards with names written on them sit on the white china as we make our way to one of the bars in the back. Vases of daisies are centered at each table, with candles on either side, creating a romantic setting. The crystal chandeliers illuminate the place with fairy lights strung up, creating a tent-like atmosphere. People are already gathered out on the balcony overlooking the beach. I follow them across the wide open space by the DJ booth, obviously set up for dancing later.
We get our drinks and find our table. A few staff members move about, busily making sure everyone has water at their table. I can’t help but scan each one, hoping to see a brunette ponytail in the mix. The hotel is large, and it’s possible she’s not even at this event.
I take a sip of my bourbon and keep my eyes peeled. I just need one more glance to get confirmation that what I felt between us wasn’t just my imagination.
“Looks like they stuck you three at the kid’s table,” Ryder laughs. He pulls out a chair for his wife, Eve, while holding his three-year-old daughter to his chest with the other arm.
“Like we care. Give me my nephew. He needs his Auntie Savi time.”
Eve carefully hands over a sleeping Mason. He’s still so tiny at only one month. His dark hair peeks out of the black knit cap on his head. I smile at the black sleeper he’s wearing with the little tuxedo printed across the front.
“I want the other one then,” Miles says, holding his hands out to Ryland, who doesn’t hesitate to jump into them. He lifts her up over his head as she giggles down at him before he sits her on his lap. He kisses the top of her curls and helps her get settled with her princess sticker book that Eve just placed in front of her.
“She’s never seen that one, so it should keep her occupied for a while,” she laughs.
Miles loads his fingers up with stickers hanging off them, and she immediately starts taking them off one by one and placing them anywhere they land on the picture. You would never know, looking at the four of us with tattoos covering most of our upper body and Miles with his eyebrow and lip piercing, that our biggest weakness is our niece and nephews. They have us wrapped around their little fingers.
“There’s the best ring man I’ve ever seen,” Ryder grins at our oldest nephew Max. Even at seven, he’s the spitting image of us with his dark hair and grey eyes. It was a shock to us when Travis became a dad at twenty-three, but not one of us hesitated to step up and help raise him. His mom left shortly after he was born, leaving Travis as a single parent. In the long run, it was better off that way. Addy had her own demons to fight, and eventually, they caught up to her last year. By then, Travis had already met Sophia and had fallen deeply in love with her. They’ve been married now for two years, and Sophia didn’t hesitate to adopt Max shortly after they said I do .
“Thanks, Uncle Ryder,” he grins at him. “I was so nervous I was going to drop the rings, but I held on to them tightly just like Dad told me to.” He sits down between Ryder and Miles.
“Well, you did a great job. Maverick and Bella were very lucky to have you keep those rings safe.” Eve smiles at her nephew.
“Thanks, Aunt Evie.” He beams with pride at her compliment. “I’m a pro now. This is my third wedding with Mom and Dad and then you and Uncle Ryder.”
“That does make you a pro,” I laugh. “You are the official ring bearer of the family.”
He giggles and stops when Ryland puts a princess sticker on his hand.
“Ryland, I’m not a sticker book, silly. It goes on the paper, not me.” She starts belly laughing, getting us all to join in on the contagious sound. “Like this,” he says, peeling it off his hand and putting it in the sticker book.
“Max is a pwincess,” she giggles.
Groaning and rolling his eyes, he looks at her. “I’m not a princess, Ryland.”
“Daddy is a pwincess.” She holds out her hand with the sticker, and Ryder leans forward so she can stick it on his shirt.
“I’ll be a princess for my Rybug. Give me a tiara and call me Cinderella.”
Max starts rolling in laughter. “Okay, Cinderella. Just make sure you are home before midnight tonight.”
“With these two?” He points to Ryland and Mason, “I’m lucky if I’ll last until ten o’clock.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Eve laughs. “Gone are the days I party until the sun comes up.”
“When have you ever partied until the sun comes up? In high school, I was lucky if you got through a whole movie without falling asleep on me,” he laughs.
“That’s because I feel cozy and safe when your arms are around me. It’s like a big warm fuzzy blanket putting me right to sleep every time.”
“Awe, that’s adorable,” Savi says, smiling over at them.
“It is adorable,” Ryder says, kissing her on the lips. I watch him nuzzle her neck before she settles back against him, watching her son sleep in Savi’s arms.
They haven’t had the easiest time in their relationship. Eve’s parents were into some shady things that led them to blackmail her into leaving Ryder when she was pregnant with Ryland at nineteen. She wasn’t able to say goodbye or tell Ryder she was carrying their child.
They were torn apart for three years, each in their own little hell. Him—wondering why she left and having to resign to the fact that she was never coming back. Her—fighting like hell to get back to him. I picked up Ryder off the floor more times than I can count when the pain got so bad he would drown himself in the first bottle he could find to make him forget .
When she showed up last summer with Ryland in her arms, they worked through their pain and guilt together and didn’t waste any more time by getting married shortly after. They welcomed their second child last month. If anyone deserves a happy ever after, it’s these two.
We turn our heads as the DJ comes over the speaker, announcing Mr. and Mrs. Lane for the first time. Everyone claps as they enter, followed by the bridal party. They take their seats at the head table, and dinner is brought out shortly afterward. My thoughts keep wandering back to her as I eat my meal and watch every person who walks through the swinging doors.
Frustrated, I throw my napkin down and get up from the table. “I’m going to head to the bathroom. Be right back.” I follow the signs to the bathroom and swing open the door a little harder than intended, with all the thoughts going through my head of possibly never seeing her again. I hear a woman’s cry on the other side of the door, followed by a loud clattering sound.
I peer around the door, and caramel eyes the color of my favorite bourbon stare back at me.
It’s her.
My breath escapes my lungs, and I get my confirmation that what I felt the first time wasn’t just my imagination. It’s like my body being slammed against a brick wall…emotions battering my body one by one.
She’s covered in what appears to be a chocolate dessert. The tray is at her feet, and the wooden floor is smeared with evidence of what smells and looks to have been a delicious treat. She tries to hide the shock on her face when recognition flashes briefly across her face.
She remembers me.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know anyone was behind the door.”
I watch her amber eyes go from shock to heated in two seconds flat, and damn if that doesn’t turn me on .
“Well, if you hadn’t barged into the hallway like a Neanderthal, this wouldn’t have happened.” She bends down to pick up the tray and uses one of the napkins to try and clean up the mess off the floor.
“Here, let me help you.” I bend down, and the smell of vanilla and cinnamon hits me. She smells like every one of my sweet tooth cravings come to life. I breathe deeply, wanting to memorize exactly what I’ll be remembering later when I’m alone in my hotel room. I reach for a napkin, accidentally brushing her hand. She jerks it back like she’s been zapped by a lightning bolt.
“I’ve got it,” she says through clenched teeth. “I think you’ve done enough.”
“Just give me a napkin. I’m not going to let you clean up this mess by yourself.” She flings a wad of napkins at me, and I catch them as they land on my chest. Holding back a grin, I help her clean up the mess as best we can. The mop will have to do the rest.
Standing to full height, I still tower over her at six foot three, but God, does she have legs for days. She must be at least five-eight. Images of her wrapping them around me enter my mind, and I stuff them down quickly. The last thing I need to do is piss her off by noticing my dick straining against my pants like some perverted stranger.
I hold the tray while she takes a clean napkin from the pile she had been carrying with the desserts. She wipes her hands and swipes it down her neck, only smearing the chocolate at this point. She has no clue I’m two seconds away from licking it clean with my tongue. I can almost taste the chocolate on my taste buds, and I’m dying to know what she tastes like with it.
“You missed a piece,” I say hoarsely, barely getting the words out past this desire coursing through my body. The devil himself couldn’t stop me as I reach my finger out and swipe the dessert off her cheek. She gasps at the contact and takes a step back, but I don’t think twice about sucking my finger clean.
The chocolate hits my tongue, and I bite back a moan at how fucking good it tastes. It’s nothing compared to the store-bought crap I buy. My brothers tease me all the time about my sweet tooth, but I don’t see any problem with indulging in some sin, especially when the sin has touched her.
“Did you make this?”
“Yes.” I watch her throat swallow as she watches me enjoy the dessert.
“Did you make more, or did I ruin having my own piece?”
She tears her gaze from me and starts roughly wiping her shirt as if she can somehow remove the big brown stain. “I made more. I always make more than we need in case something like this happens.” She finally gives up and throws the napkin down on the tray. “I can’t go out like this. This shirt is ruined.”
I watch her fight back the tears as she struggles not to let them fall.
“Do you have a spare shirt with you?”
“No, this is the only one I own,” she whispers, looking down at it. I get the gut feeling that this is about way more than just a shirt.
“I got an idea. Follow me.” I open the men’s bathroom door and peek inside to make sure it’s all clear.
“I’m not following you into the men’s bathroom,” she says, shaking her head.
“I’m going to give you my shirt. I can tell this night is important to you, so if you want to get back out there and blow them away with your incredible dessert, then this is your only option.”
I stand there and see the battle warring in her eyes before she finally walks past me.
“Fine,” she huffs.
Grinning like an idiot, I shut the door behind us. She’s at the sink, cleaning the rest of the chocolate off her skin. I set the tray on the counter and take my black suit jacket off. Removing my cuff links, I unbutton the fabric on my wrists before moving down the front and pulling my shirt off.
Her eyes widen as she takes in my body for the first time. Black ink swirls across my chest and back, weaving down both my arms. I did what I could myself, but Travis went off my design for the rest of it.
Her eyes roam over me, and for the first time, it’s not enough. I want so much more.
“Here,” I say, quietly breaking the silence. She blinks and looks at me like she doesn’t understand what I’m saying. Her whiskey-colored eyes can’t stop staring, and it’s doing things to me, making it hard not to grab her and sink my teeth into her because I know without a doubt she will be the best damn dessert I’ve ever tasted. Her tongue swipes her bottom lip, and I clench the shirt tighter in my hand. “Just take the shirt,” I growl. “Please,” I say in a pained voice when she doesn’t move.
I see the moment she snaps out of it and realizes she’d been staring. Redness creeps up and colors her skin. There’s no stopping my dick now as I watch her cheeks flush to a beautiful shade of red. I’ve barely touched this girl, and I’m harder than I think I’ve ever been.
She finally takes the shirt from my hands, and I try to breathe through the fire coursing through my veins. “Turn around,” she says, motioning with her hand. “I need to take my shirt off and use the sink to clean myself before I put this on.”
I turn around and give her the privacy she wants, ignoring the part of me screaming for just one glimpse. The thought of her half-naked behind me is more torture than sitting in a chair all day getting inked.
Less than five minutes seems like hours before I finally hear her say she’s done. Turning around, I rake my eyes down her body. Her wearing my shirt may possibly be the death of me. I feel my heart pounding loudly, mixed with the rush of blood through my veins.
“It’s very big on me, but it will have to do.” She rolled up the sleeves and tied the bottom into a knot since it was too long to tuck in. I linger on the small glimpse of bare skin showing off her toned abs above the waistline of her black pants. I can’t help but wonder, if one single piece of flesh can make me feel like this, then what would seeing her body completely exposed feel like?
“Thank you for saving me,” she says quietly, pulling me out of my thoughts.” I flick my eyes up to hers and see something flash across them, but it’s gone before I can make sense of it. “I’ll make sure to leave it with the front desk when I leave, and you can get it back before you go home.”
I grab my jacket off the counter and roughly put it on. “Keep it. It looks way better on you than it ever did on me.” I shove the cuff links in my pockets and keep my hands there, not trusting myself not to reach for her.
What the hell is wrong with me?
If it were any other girl, I would have acted on the signals her body is giving off. I can tell she wants me. I can practically taste her arousal dripping off of her, and as much as I want to give in to what my body wants, she’s different.
I can’t quite get a reading on her because of the mask she puts on, but it’s there lying in the deepest, darkest corner of her. I saw it earlier, and I got glimpses of it when she let her guard down. She’s afraid of something, and I would rather die than move too fast and see her fear directed at me.
“What about you? You can’t go back out there wearing that?” She gestures toward my suit jacket over my naked chest.
“Maybe I want to start a new fashion trend?”
A giggle escapes, and it’s the best damn sound in the world. I grin at her, and even though it still doesn’t quite reach her eyes, I get a smile back.
“I’ve got a room booked for the night and have another shirt upstairs. I’ll just run up and change before heading back to the reception,” I explain.
She nods her head. “I better get back out there. Clara is probably wondering where I am.” She hesitates briefly before walking quickly to the door.
“Wait,” I say, turning around. “Since you’re wearing my shirt, don’t you think it’s fair that I get your name?”
For a second, I don’t think she’s going to give it to me.
“Lyla,” she says quietly. I expect her to ask me mine, but she surprises me when she turns to go.
“Do you want to know mine?”
She stops outside the door but doesn’t look back. “No,” she says. “It’s better this way.” She disappears around the corner, and I lean against the sink, wondering what in the hell just happened.
Lyla.
The name rolls over my tongue as I whisper it. One name, that’s all she gave me. Four fucking letters of the alphabet that mean nothing separately but mean everything when they are placed together in the right order.
Eventually, I head upstairs to change into another white dress shirt I brought just in case of emergencies and jog back down in record time, wanting to get back as quickly as possible.
I have the rest of the evening to work out a plan because one thing is for certain…I’m not leaving here until I know everything I can about her. I won’t let her disappear on me because a big part of me fears that’s exactly what she’s planning.